It's time to Bloom!
And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom-Anais-Nin
The fear of the unknown is one of the greatest reasons why we don't change. Whether it's an organization failing to look deeply at their institutional structures that may hinder equitable opportunities for leadership OR as individuals suffering through not living to our potential, the pain will eventually become too great. As humans, we often wait until there's a societal or an internal spiritual uprising to change, much of what we are seeing right now. The pain became too much to bear.
Take time to assess where you are and what changes you need to make in your organization or life to truly blossom. Don't wait until the pain becomes so great and decisions literally become a matter of life or death. When you take a step towards progress, face the unknown you will find that it is not that scary after all. Knowing exactly all the steps forward is a little overrated, you squander the adventures of the journey.
#change #changeleadership #shirellspeaks #courageousleadership #blossom #change
If you gave your power away... go get it back! (Copy)
Take it Back Tuesday!!
Today, it is truly a take it back day. We sometimes get tired, discouraged, or disappointed and that can cause us to live by habit. What happens when we live by habit? We stop making concrete plans, we don’t hold ourselves accountable, and we engage in unhealthy habits. We are productive, get up, go to work, take care of kids, and/other responsibilities, but we don’t give ourselves dedicated time to think about our life.
I appreciate that it is hard being intentional. Why? Intentionality requires we make tough decisions and be in scary places. For some of us, someone and/or circumstances caused us to stop believing in ourselves. or expecting more for our life. Undoubtedly, there are people who do not wish the best for you, and life sometimes knocks you down. But, we remember 2 things-there are more people for you than against you! and life also has a mixture of good and bad times. It is so easy to get into a false mental trap, the mind naturally holds on to negative thoughts. Our minds ruminate over lack and what we are not. But, you must train our brain and take your power back.
So, if you handed your power to another that makes you make you feel like less, go and get it back. If you handed your power to the falsities of your mind, go get it back. Decide today, you will take 10 minutes to sit down every day over the next week and make intentional decisions about your life. Write it down! Find an accountability partner. Don’t be afraid, you have all the courage you need nesting inside.
You don’t become what you want, you become what you believe-Oprah Winfrey
Photo by Miguel Bruna
If you gave your power away... go get it back!
Take it Back Tuesday!!
Today, it is truly a take it back day. We sometimes get tired, discouraged, or disappointed and that can cause us to live by habit. What happens when we live by habit? We stop making concrete plans, we don’t hold ourselves accountable, and we engage in unhealthy habits. We are productive, get up, go to work, take care of kids, and/other responsibilities, but we don’t give ourselves dedicated time to think about our life.
I appreciate that it is hard being intentional. Why? Intentionality requires we make tough decisions and be in scary places. For some of us, someone and/or circumstances caused us to stop believing in ourselves. or expecting more for our life. Undoubtedly, there are people who do not wish the best for you, and life sometimes knocks you down. But, we remember 2 things-there are more people for you than against you! and life also has a mixture of good and bad times. It is so easy to get into a false mental trap, the mind naturally holds on to negative thoughts. Our minds ruminate over lack and what we are not. But, you must train our brain and take your power back.
So, if you handed your power to another that makes you make you feel like less, go and get it back. If you handed your power to the falsities of your mind, go get it back. Decide today, you will take 10 minutes to sit down every day over the next week and make intentional decisions about your life. Write it down! Find an accountability partner. Don’t be afraid, you have all the courage you need nesting inside.
You don’t become what you want, you become what you believe-Oprah Winfrey
Photo by Miguel Bruna
Boundaries wanted-Remember You are only human
You are only human: Set boundaries
Take It On Tuesday!
It is so easy in times like this to just keep letting it pile on. We begin to take on superhuman traits and falsely think we actually have superpowers. I have bad news, you are only human. We know it doesn’t feel right, but we fear judgment regarding lack of commitment or an ability to handle “it” so we just keep pushing. But, in reality, true leaders create boundaries.
Earlier in my career, I had taken on a lot of projects in order to get ahead. At the same time, I was managing work, family, and community service. Because I was overextended, I was not showing up anywhere in the manner I desired. I failed to meet a client deliverable and the client gave me great advice. He said your inability to manage your time and deliverables speaks volumes about your inability to manage yourself and create boundaries. You must fix that if you want to stay on track to be a senior leader. Wow. So basically, translation no good deed goes unpunished. So, let me give you a few tips on creating boundaries for yourself and others::
Set clear expectations of what you are able to deliver and when -this is especially critical during this time.
If you are not able to make a commitment, communicate, and set a new deliverable as soon as possible.
Block out times for different tasks and advise others when you need focused time to be alone and/or work on a project.
If you are homeschooling, give yourself some flexibility and recognize this is not a perfect time to overcommit.
If you have competing priorities, communicate your priorities and if you are not able to handle it on your own, seek senior leadership and/or client input on prioritizing deliverables.
Creating boundaries lets everyone know you are in fact committed to being the best you, and that in the end is what matters.